What is a decent DSLR camera for intro professional portrait photography?
Posted on July 01, 2010 by Ed
I am an amatuer photographer trying to get a business started. I have Adobe Photoshop 7, a set of strobe lights with umbrellas, a few backdrops, and some props etc. Im shooting with a Nikon D40X, 10.2 MP. A friend of mine who was a professional photographer for many years keeps pushing me to get the D200 but I just cant afford it yet. Is the set up I have now ok to start?
Wow, there is absolutely no reason to get the D200 right off the bat. The D40X and D200 have almost the exact same sensor, and unless you need the 5fps of the D200, you really are not missing that much. Yes, the D200 may have the Commander feature for controlling Speedlight flashes, but you really do not need that. What you need is some experience. The D40X will be a perfectly capable tool for you to get started, and I seriously doubt anyone would turn down your services just because you don’t have a professional camera. The only thing that matters is the end result. A D40X in capable hands will take equal or better quality pictures than a D200 in the hands of someone who is clueless.
You have the tools, and that D40X will serve you fine. The biggest potential limitation is the types of lenses that the D40 will accept- you will keep autofocus and metering with AF-S and AF-I lenses, but type G and D lenses will not support autofocus on the D40X, so factor that into your planning for the future. In the meantime, just use what you have, and then get the D300 whenever it comes out. Your friend may have good intentions, but I don’t think it’s necessary for you to go out and spend all of that extra money until you feel you will be able to use the extra features that come with it.
Discussion: 3 Comments
3 Responses to “What is a decent DSLR camera for intro professional portrait photography?”
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fhotoace
- 1st Jul, 10 08:07am
Get the Nikon D200 and keep the Nikon D40x as your backup.
Just use the money you make shooting portraits and then buy the D200.
If you were shooting a lot of editorial photography then I would have you wait and buy a Nikon D2xs, but you may not need that yet.
KEY: Build your book and shoot some FTP sessions to get some good models into your book.
Take a peek at the link below and try emulating the styles there.
References :
http://www.blackbook.com
Editorial, sports and glamour photographer
Modulus
- 1st Jul, 10 09:07am
Wow, there is absolutely no reason to get the D200 right off the bat. The D40X and D200 have almost the exact same sensor, and unless you need the 5fps of the D200, you really are not missing that much. Yes, the D200 may have the Commander feature for controlling Speedlight flashes, but you really do not need that. What you need is some experience. The D40X will be a perfectly capable tool for you to get started, and I seriously doubt anyone would turn down your services just because you don’t have a professional camera. The only thing that matters is the end result. A D40X in capable hands will take equal or better quality pictures than a D200 in the hands of someone who is clueless.
You have the tools, and that D40X will serve you fine. The biggest potential limitation is the types of lenses that the D40 will accept- you will keep autofocus and metering with AF-S and AF-I lenses, but type G and D lenses will not support autofocus on the D40X, so factor that into your planning for the future. In the meantime, just use what you have, and then get the D300 whenever it comes out. Your friend may have good intentions, but I don’t think it’s necessary for you to go out and spend all of that extra money until you feel you will be able to use the extra features that come with it.
References :
vienna2001
- 1st Jul, 10 09:07am
D200 and D40X take essentially the same shot. None of your clients will be able to tell the difference.
Take the money you would have spent on the D200 and put it into advertising.
You need paying clients, not more equipment.
References :